wilcox



To, all whom itmay concern WILL I Add I -ECO x, for A FRANG/I so o,- o AL EOB Nth.

December 15,1375.

Be it knownfith'atllii-WILLIAM G. 'WILoox, ;--of'.vS an. Franeiscof-city; and countyfState of 1 I Oalifornia, have in vented-Q a- Direct Acting 1 Steam-Engine"; and 'I' do .-h'ereby{declare'.the

following description andaccompanyin g drawings are sufiic'ientto enable any person skilled ,j in the art or sciepceft'o which 'itgmos't. nearly appertalins "to-'ihake and use nay-said invention without fu'rth'er inv'ention or experiment. My, invention relates .to certain improvements .in direct acting sjteamen gines of that class which are usually employed to drive a pump:by"means:ofthe direotconinection of a singlepiston-rodextending through the heads of the steam andpump cylinder, and unitingthe two pistons,- so that they move together.

These engines have us'nallya main valve to supply steam to ,the main piston, and this valve is driven by a 'supplemen tal piston ,which receives steam to actuate it by devices which vary indifferent engines. v e

-IMy invention T consists" in 'a-vn'ovel construe tion and operation of two rotary supplemental valves, which are so connected as to be operated simultaneously by the main piston. and I are provided with ports, Which'adniit'an'd' exhaust steam alternately to and from the supplemental piston. I It also consists in a means for cushioningthe main piston and supplying steam to start it before the main steam-ports are opened.

Referring to the accompanying drawing for a more complete explanationof my invention,

' Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section taken through to 0.4;, Fig. 7. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken through 22, Fig. 6. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken through c t, Fig. 6. Fig. 4 is a plan showing valve-face. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken through t t, Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical section taken through as m, Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a transverse v'ertical'section taken through y 3 Fig. 5

A is the steam-cylinder, within which the piston B moves.

The piston-rod 0 extends through one head of the cylinder, and also through one head of a the pump-cylinder, having the pump-piston secured to its opposite end, in the usual manner.

I exhausted through -theactioh of the in am valve D. This valve is operated- .by a supplemental piston,- E, moving-in :lits cylinder, and the steamito operateithis val 'eisse plied by meansof twogvalves, FRY- side of the steam-cylinder, andnarthe ends, as shown:-

3 They are madeconica'l, aridto chamberswhich. lie at right angles with the, "l

' 7 These valves are placed above-and toone' cylinder, so that the spindle orstelnGoi' each" will extend above the bore-of this cylinder. I

This-stem hasian. arm orv lever, H, which projects downward .into the-cylinder,iandwhen 'both will be moved s'imultaneo'usly,whether the l lever at :one end or -the other bez'm'oved, I provide an arm','- I, which I haveslijownlpro- 'arod or bar, J, unites these twoarms', moving in a'hole or channel, K, which is made for'it.

It will "be readily seen that the shaft'gG could be extended to the-outside of the valvechests, and provided with arms connected by a rod entirely outside the chest but this would necessitate stuffing-boxes, and would be more troublesome and=expensive.

The operation will then be as follows: Steam, being admitted to the main valve-chamber, will fill the space around the valve, and will pass along the channel K to the valves F, and by its pressure upon their outer ends they will be held closely to their seats.

.the piston. arrives at one end itwillstrike 'jectingupward from, each of thefv-alves', and v A small slot, n, extends along the surface of the valve to a point where (when the valve is turned to the proper position) steam will be admitted to the port 0 and pass behind the supplemental piston E, thus driving it to the opposite end of its cylinder.

valve, thus admitting-steam behind the main piston, which is forced to the opposite end of its cylinder, where it strikes the arm H, and by its movement rotates the valves, so as'to open the other steam-port O, and reverse the motion of the piston E.

The piston B is driven by steam, which The exhaust-ports w" of the valves F are j bored directly through the valve,.onc end connecting with a passage, r,which opens into the supplemental cylinder, while the other end opens into the main exhaust-port .M, so that when one steam-port, O, is opened the opposite exhaust-port 1' willbe opened.

The pressure of steam within the chambers of the valves F will be against their ends in such a manner as to hold them to their seats and make them steam-tight.

I have found that by placing the exhaustports from the-supplemental valve-chamber a in g date February 9, 187 5.

It will be seen that the main steam-ports L L open into the cylinder A at some distance from the ends, so that the piston B, in completing its stroke, will pass the port, and will be cushioned upon the steam thus confined between it and the end of the qvlinder.

At the same time, in completing its stroke, it will strike the lever-arm H at that end of the cylinder, and reverse the positions of the various valves, so as to admit live steam to the passage L for the purpose-of returning the piston.

From its position, howeverfit will be seen that this steam cannot pass behind the piston B until the latter has been started upon its return-movement, and this I accomplish by means of a small port, 8, which opens through i the rotary valve F when the latter is turned, and communicates with the space within which the lever H swings.

As this'space extends to the extreme end of the cylinder, it will be manifest that the piston can never hang at this point, and that its motion will be regular.

By this construction I am enabled to operate my valves with great rapidity and little friction or wear, while the steam-passages are so short that there is little liability to condense steam in the minute supplemental valve-passages-a difiiculty often met with in this class of engines.

I am aware that rotary or oscillating valves have been used to admit and exhaust steam in connection with steam-cylinders, and I do not therefore claim, broadly, a rotary valve; but I What I do claim asfnew, and desire tojsecure by Letters Patent, is

l. The rotary or oscillating valves F,-having the exterior slotted steam-passages n and the exhaust-passages 1' passing through'them, in

combination with thechambers having the connecting steam channel- 70, for admitting steam to the surfaces of the valves and the steam ports 0, substantially as herein described.

2. The oscillating valves F, having the arms or levers H extending into the cylinder, so as to be operated by the main piston, and provided .with the connecting-rod J, for insuring asimultaneous action, substantially as herein described. i

3. In combination with the piston B, moving beyond the ports L in the main cylinder, I claim the valves F, having the steampassages 8 opening into the main cylinder,"for the purpose of starting the piston Blinits stroke,substantially as herein described,

WILLIAM CAMPBELL W ILGOX.

Witnesses:

GEO. H. STRONG, JNo. L. BooNE. 

